CHAMPAIGN — As the clock ticked in the final minute, Illinois coach John Groce pumped his fist and went over to give an empathic high five to freshman guard Kendrick Nunn.

After the game ended, he went over to slap hands with some members of the Orange Krush student section.

Illinois defeated Nebraska 60-49 at State Farm Center on Wednesday, snapping a five-game home streak, the program’s longest in 40 years. It was the Illini’s first home win since Jan. 4.

“It feels good to come home and win another game,” forward Jon Ekey said. “The fans have been great, going through the struggles that we had. They still come to all the games, and they’re loud.”

The Illini have rebounded to win three of their last five games following an eight-game losing streak. This is the first time they have won back-to-back games since beating Indiana (Dec. 31) and Penn State (Jan. 4).

Nebraska entered the game as the hottest team in the Big Ten, and this loss snaps the Cornhuskers’ five-game winning streak. They had won seven of their last eight to catapult themselves into sixth place in the conference standings. That momentum was halted by the Illini, who have held three straight opponents under 50 points.

Ever since this season turned sour, Illini fans have been searching for a glimmer of hope. That hope has come from freshmen guards Nunn and Malcolm Hill. When they were inserted into the starting lineup two weeks ago, it showed Illinois was looking toward the future.

Point guard Tracy Abrams did not connect on seven shot attempts, but he ran the offense smoothly with five assists and did not turn the ball over.

Nnanna Egwu scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds, and Groce continued to rave about his defensive presence.

When Illinois began to pull away midway through the second half, it was thanks to a 3-pointer and tip-in from Ekey sandwiched around a layup by Rayvonte Rice. Ekey finished with eight points, and Rice added 10 and nine rebounds.

Joseph Bertrand has struggled since being forced to come off the bench, but he and Ekey played their best games since taking on that role. Bertrand scored six points in the first half to help the Illini to a 27-24 lead. He had scored just seven points in the previous four games combined.

“This was the first time I thought Jon and Joe really excelled in that role,” Groce said. “I thought they were great tonight.”

Page 2 of 2 - The Cornhuskers could not muster much momentum offensively and were held to their season-low point total. They shot four air balls in the first half. They did not connect on any of their first eight 3-point attempts. They turned the ball over 15 times. Terran Petteway entered the game as the Big Ten’s leading scorer, and while he finished with 13 points, he needed 18 shots to do so.

Illinois also won the hustle plays, including an acrobatic play in which Ekey dove into the Orange Krush student section to save a loose ball.

“The exciting thing for us is I don’t think we’ve reached our total potential here down the stretch,” Groce said.